The number of people on the NHS England waiting list for treatment topped 7.3 million for the first time in March.
According to today’s data while some inroads have been made on some of the longer waits for treatment the overall figures continued to worsen and more children than ever before are now waiting for care.
In total the number of patients waiting to start treatment at the end of March 2023 hit 7,331,974 – up from 7,218,001 in February.
Of those, 359,798 patients were waiting more than a year, 10,737 patients were waiting more than 18 months and 559 patients were waiting more than two years.
At the end of March, 58.6% of patients waiting to start treatment were waiting up to 18 weeks so were not meeting the 92% standard.
For patients waiting to start treatment at the end of March 2023, the median waiting time was 14.1 weeks.
But NHS England data also shows the number of children awaiting consultant led treatment has reached an all-time high, with 403,955 children currently on the waiting list – a development the Royal College Of Paediatrics & Child Health dubbed a “national scandal”.
The data shows 17,991 of these children awaiting consultant led treatment have been waiting more than a year for essential treatments.
The figures appear to reinforce a growing demand within the private medical insurance (PMI) sector for children’s care.
At the Health & Protection Health Summit in March, Sam Hudson, managing director at Assured Futures, revealed one of the more interesting trends he had observed over the past year has been increased interest in child-only PMI policies.
‘National scandal’
Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College Of Paediatrics & Child Health, said: “It is a national scandal that over 400,000 children are stuck in limbo on a list, waiting for treatment.
“These children could fill Wembley stadium four times over. Of this number, 17,991 of them have been waiting for more than a year. NHS England has a zero-tolerance policy for 52-week waits, so it is deeply concerning that these targets are being missed.
“The clear regional variation in size of waiting lists, also means that this is an equity issue for children and their families.
“Child health teams are working tirelessly to address the growing backlogs, but without proper support, their efforts are unable to make a meaningful dent in the problem.”
But Kingdon added government’s recent decisions to abandon the 10-year mental health plan, 10-year cancer plan, and the health disparities white paper, along with the delay in implementing vital policies to prevent obesity, has only added to the organisation’s concerns.
“Paediatricians had hoped these plans would urgently address the unacceptable child health outcomes in England,” Kingdon continued.
“Unfortunately, the Major Conditions Strategy, which replaced these plans, appears to primarily target older adults and frailty, leaving uncertainty as to whether the needs of children and young people will be adequately addressed.
“The government must provide urgent clarity on its vision for children’s health and the wider disease prevention agenda and outline concrete policies to bring this vision to life.
“As committed paediatricians, we are unwavering in our advocacy for children in health, education, and social policy. It is imperative that immediate action be taken to alleviate waiting times and ensure the wellbeing of our nation’s children.”
Serious and worsening health crisis
For Brett Hill, head of health and protection at Broadstone, the UK is now in the grip of a “serious, and worsening”, health crisis with waiting lists “relentlessly rising month after month”.
“This continued escalation of treatment delays hints at the severity of the issue given tackling the backlog is now a major priority for the government,“ Hill continued.
“Ongoing industrial action is further adding to the pressures in a system which has reached breaking point following the pandemic.
“Given the length of time it takes to fully train medical staff from nurses and GPs to surgeons and other specialists, it is evident that this is not a situation that will be resolved any time soon.
“As such, there is an urgent debate to be had over how we deliver healthcare in the UK. Employers increasingly recognise that they can no longer rely on the creaking health service to keep their workers fit and healthy so are rapidly putting in place healthcare plans that will keep them active and in work.
“Government measures for occupational health announced at the Budget are further evidence of attempts to shift the burden away from the NHS and onto the shoulders of businesses and the private sector.”
Some progress made
But Saoirse Mallorie, senior analyst at The King’s Fund, recognised progress made in reducing the number of people waiting more than 18 months for routine care down to around 11,000 from 30,000 last month.
“While some progress has been made against key NHS targets, the statistics also illustrate the ongoing pressure across the entire health and care system, with 1.63 million people waiting for diagnostic tests and procedures,” she said.
“Additionally, while the number of medically fit patients waiting to be discharged has fallen, there are still 12,300 people delayed from leaving hospital.
“Recovery against key NHS targets is likely to be slow, with industrial action adding to uncertainty
“This is yet another month of worrying statistics that show people not getting the standard of care they need, and yet another month waiting for the oft-promised and long-overdue workforce plan, which must have funding to underpin it.”